Why employers value the skills gained by women on a career break

Did you know: for women, flexibility from an employer is the most important thing

7 March 2018 • 3:29pm

Female professionals who’ve taken career breaks will be celebrated in this year’s search for engineering’s top 50 women

Can women who have taken a career break return to engineering and succeed as they did before? Absolutely, says Kirsten Bodley, chief executive of the Women’s Engineering Society (WES).

“For those people out there thinking of coming back to the profession, there are employers who really value the skills these women have gained while away – not least time management, communication, networking and interacting with whole new audiences.”

Whether it’s a year or decades-long career break, professionals returning to the sector should be welcomed with open arms, she says. “The engineering skills they have are still relevant.”

That’s why this year WES is seeking to find the top 50 women in engineering – from the pool of those who’ve returned to work, or those who have switched between engineering disciplines – or even hopped over from a different sector.

Helping hand: mentoring is one of the most effective ways of supporting women

Now in its third year, The Telegraph’s Top 50 Women in Engineering has worked WES to promote those women who have excelled in the profession. Two years ago the list highlighted women icons in the industry, while last year it was engineers under 35 who took the spotlight. “The confidence you gain from an award such as this is amazing,” says Bodley. “I’d love to encourage women to put themselves forward, or to nominate others.”

It’s no secret that engineering companies need far more engineers than the UK is currently producing. “With this looming skills gap, and an ageing workforce with many on the brink of retirement, employers are really beginning to recognise the value of those missing millions of women engineers,” says Bodley.

Not-for-profit campaign group EngineeringUK estimates the county could need 186,000 new engineers each year until 2024, while 2018 heralds the Year of Engineering, a government and industry initiative to inspire new blood and bring experienced hands into the profession.

But where are the women engineers? While numbers are crawling in the right direction – last year 11pc of the engineering workforce was female, up from 9pc in 2015 – but progress is painfully slow, says Bodley.

It’s no secret that engineering companies need far more engineers than the UK is currently producing

When choosing GCSEs, roughly the same number of boys and girls sign up for sciences, and their results are largely similar. But from then on, potential female engineers fall away at every stage of life – from A levels through to choosing relevant apprenticeships or degrees, the percentage of women opting in declines.

Fewer women engineering students choose to enter the sector upon graduation and many leave engineering when they take a break to have a family or become a carer. “There are drop offs at every point,” says Ms Bodley. “Even if women do come back, they often find it much harder to progress to senior leadership. Confidence is a massive factor for anyone on a career break.”

But she’s witnessing a surge in interest from employers in “returners” schemes. These are now well established in some sectors such as finance, but it’s early days in the engineering world. WES is collaborating with the likes of Babcock and other large employers to help them recruit for their 12-week returner programmes.

The schemes see women – and some men – who’ve taken a career break placed with an employer, during which time they’ll brush up on skills and get to know the company, and ideally progress to a permanent role there. “We suggest the support continues at the end of the scheme for another year – the mentoring and the networking,” says Bodley.

Top talent: employers value lots of skills women have gained while on a career break

In fact mentoring, both within a company and externally, is one of the most effective ways of supporting women in the engineering sector, she says. Universities such as Brunel offer women engineering students mentoring by industry professionals, and WES organises its own mentoring scheme, as do some employers.

Potential employees who’ve taken a career break often feel their confidence dwindle if they are out of the cut and thrust of office life for more than six months. But even those who’ve been out for some 20 years still retain the skills and training that makes them effective.

“These skills aren’t lost, they just need to be refreshed. Ensuring women are supported when they return is critical. For women, flexibility from an employer is the most important thing,” says Bodley. “Being able to leave on time, being able to work part time or from home are all important. Not all colleagues might be sympathetic, especially older staff, but employers are beginning to understand the value.”

In previous years, quests to find the top 50 have brought an overwhelming response. This year organisers welcome applications from women who’ve returned or switched disciplines, and winners will be announced on 23 June, to coincide with the International Women in Engineering Day.

“We know there is an enormous amount of talent out there, it’s a question of reaching new audiences, and showing the depth of skills,” says Bodley.

Make your nomination for the top 50 women in engineering 2018 here, or find out more about the challenges faced by female engineers and the role models inspiring them at tgr.ph/we50